Jane, still a young woman and a former Miss Estonia runner-up had dedicated years to taking care of her home and family, meanwhile neglecting herself and slowly eating herself to mild obesity to the point where seeing old photos of herself was painful. The procedures and treatments she received working with Christinas Clinic’s experienced surgeons, have restored her confidence to the point where she would be willing to step forward at another beauty pageant! Take a look at our interview with Jane, discussing her wonderful make-over in detail.

Jane, you’ve told us about your days as a Miss Estonia runner-up. What led you from there to choosing aesthetic surgery?

For years, I dedicated myself to being the best mother, meanwhile forgetting to truly take care of myself and at some point I realised how I had entirely assumed the role of the mother and absolutely neglected that of the woman. I’d stopped going out because of the sheer anxiety of someone saying or thinking something about my appearance. So it was time for a change.

I genuinely believe that taking care of one’s appearance and choosing aesthetic surgery is and has to be something that each person does only for themselves, rather than anyone else, be it their husband, mother or friends.

I turned to aesthetic surgery to feel good in my own skin again and I can honestly say that having my physical appearance restored has been a huge boost to my self-esteem and confidence.

Every now and then when I come across photos of me on my phone, with droopy eyelids, an undefined facial shape and an overweight physique, I have asked my family why or how they let me get to that stage. But people change very gradually and those closest to them might not even notice it on a daily basis.

 The first procedure performed on you was the gastric band which ended up being the defining step. You were very nervous before going in and worried about not being able to eat, being sick and hungry afterwards. Tell us a bit how it’s all been and how you feel about this procedure now?

It’s been great. Having the gastric band has helped me create self-discipline – I know exactly what and how much I can and cannot eat and am able to act accordingly. I eat slowly, truly chewing each bite and feel full pretty quickly. So having it has helped me tremendously.

I realise my initial worries were unfounded as I’ve not been sick and have been able to digest everything healthy. The recovery process itself was not painful at all and I was able to move around just a few hours post-procedure already. My family were quite prepared to take care of me full-time for a bit but it wasn’t necessary.

Perhaps most importantly, this procedure has had a huge impact on my lifestyle.  While before I would have sat in front of the TV, snacking until it hurt and I felt sick, I don’t get to that point any more where I, so-to-speak, eat myself to oblivion.

So I’d certainly recommend a gastric band to anyone with any concerns relating to quantity control or eating regularly. It simply helps create self-discipline in this area.

Your primary concern was the excess weight but you also went through 14 different procedures. How do you feel about these now and what was your recovery like?

I placed my trust in the capabilities of the surgeons and specialists and am extremely happy with the results. The recovery through the sequence of my procedures was relatively fast and easy.

When signing up to take part in the programme, I already knew that in addition to the weight, I’d need to have the upper eyelids adjusted as they’d become droopy enough to shield my vision. I was also keen to have the buttock augmentation with own fat since I’ve always had a somewhat flat and ‘saggy’ behind – typical to most Estonian women. They managed to use the fat from my love-handles in creating a beautiful round behind, making my full-body profile look defined, feminine and healthy now.

Additionally, fat transfer was also applied to my face to help shape it. Initially I was quite worried about the end results when Brit-Carmen brought up elongating my chin and thus slightly changing the shape of my face. But it has had the effect of truly defining my face while making me look thinner. She (Brit-Carmen) has a great eye for these things!

How did your family and friends react to these changes?

Everyone’s been very positive while a lot of acquaintances have needed an extra moment to recognize me. It does of course remind me how different I must have seemed before. I’ve received a lot of compliments with people telling me how great I look and asking about the changes I’ve made. Even people like my children’s’ teachers notice – taking my child back to kindergarten after the summer holidays one of them came up to me simply to tell me how beautiful and healthy I looked. Something like that is fantastic to hear, especially as it’s not a close member of my family that is saying it, meaning they too have noticed the change in me. I even joke that cars stop more easily for me at pedestrian crossings now, though perhaps the drivers around here have simply become more polite!

It even feels as if my husband cares for me more now –  not that he didn’t do so before but he definitely spoils me more. Well, he does have a beautiful wife at home who needs to be cherished!

How satisfied are you in general with your Christinas Clinic experience and would you consider recommending aesthetic surgery to others?

Yes, of course I would recommend it! The Clinic experience was great. It’s actually quite difficult to articulate how very grateful I am for this experience and how happy with the results. I’ve been cared for so well throughout all my procedures at Christinas Clinic and each problem or issue was resolved efficiently and fast yet with great care and attention. For example, right before the gastric band procedure, I was diagnosed with an oesophagus hernia, which they immediately treated. The approach at Christinas Clinic is very wholesome in that the aim is to make you look and feel better in general, not just focus on the one thing you’ve gone there for, ignoring everything else.

For anyone considering any kind of aesthetic procedures, I’d certainly recommend going to the clinic for a simple consultation. What I’ve realised is that they’ll never propose anything ‘extra’ that you don’t actually need or that won’t help you, at Christinas Clinic. Nor will they ever apply an unnatural or extreme approach, meaning the results are always bound to be beautiful.

Attention! This is a healthcare service. Christinas Clinic is licensed by the Health Board, permit L04361 (CBF Medical OÜ). The operations and procedures are performed by healthcare professionals.